1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to computing operations performed in computing systems, and more particularly directed to graphics processing tasks performed in computing systems.
2. Related Art
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a complex integrated circuit that is specially designed to perform graphics processing tasks. A GPU can, for example, execute graphics processing tasks required by an end-user application, such as a video game application. In such an example, there are several layers of software between the end-user application and the GPU.
The end-user application communicates with an application programming interface (API). An API allows the end-user application to output graphics data and commands in a standardized format, rather than in a format that is dependent on the GPU. Several types of APIs are commercially available, including DirectX® developed by Microsoft Corp. and OpenGL® developed by Silicon Graphics, Inc. The API communicates with a driver. The driver translates standard code received from the API into a native format of instructions understood by the GPU. The driver is typically written by the manufacturer of the GPU. The GPU then executes the instructions from the driver.
A GPU produces the pixels that make up an image from a higher level description of its components in a process known as rendering. GPU's typically utilize a concept of continuous rendering by the use of pipelines to process pixel, texture, and geometric data. These pipelines are often referred to as shader pipes or shader pipelines, “shader” being a term in computer graphics referring to a set of software instructions used by a graphic resource primarily to perform rendering effects. In addition, GPU's can also employ multiple pipelines in a parallel processing design to obtain higher throughput. A multiple of shader pipelines can also be referred to as a shader pipe array.
Periodically an error occurs somewhere within a pipeline as a shader pipe array, for example, as a result of a production defect. As the number of errors increase the overall yield of acceptable rendering calculations decreases. Typically the method used to correct a defective pipeline would be to recalculate the entire array of data within the shader pipe array. While this method can correct the defective pipeline data, it also consumes a fair amount of processing time to recalculate the entire array of data. This recalculation effort due to even a single defective element within a single pipeline effectively decreases a system's overall performance, or the production yield amount of effective product.
What are needed, therefore, are systems and/or methods to alleviate the aforementioned deficiencies. Particularly, what is needed is a highly efficient, cost effective approach to overcome the effects of a defective shader pipe with minimal impact on overall product production or performance.